Stop Circus Pages's Cruelty to Elephants, Tigers, and Lions!
- by: Kelly Kathleen
- recipient: St. Joseph County Fairgrounds, Circus Pages, Indiana State Legislature
Circus Pages fails to provide their animals with sufficient space, medical care, and appropriate food. Circus Pages has also violated safety regulations, putting both the public and the animals at risk. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited them at least fifteen times since 1992 for violating federal laws and animal welfare guidelines.
Its most recent violation occurred in November 2013, in which tigers were being forced to lie in their own excrement because the cages were too small and were improperly cleaned. They were also cited for failing to provide a safe barrier between the tigers and circus-goers. Not only are circuses inherently cruel to animals, this particular circus has shown a complete disregard for the welfare of its animals, as detailed by numerous USDA violations including failure to provide animals with adequate veterinary care, such as an untreated abscess on an elephant's throat and lesions on a tiger's face.
Unless we speak out against these irresponsible and cruel practices, Circus Pages will continue their circuit of misery throughout the country. Please stand with me in protesting Circus Pages on behalf of the abused animals who cannot speak for themselves. Please stand with me in setting an example of compassion.
Few people are aware of the abuses that occur behind the colorful big top—lions kept in cages so small they cannot turn around, elephants chained by their necks, and tigers fed so inadequately they are emaciated. Circus Pages is one of many traveling circuses with a long and tragic history of mistreating its animals, and now Circus Pages is bringing its cruelty to our town.
Circus Pages is coming to St. Joseph County at the end of May, and bringing with it a show of misery. Their website boasts show-owned elephants, “rare white tigers,” “rare white lions,” camels, dogs, and ponies. What their website does not tell you is that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has cited them at least fifteen times since 1992 for violating federal laws and animal welfare guidelines. Circus Pages has failed to provide their animals with sufficient space, medical care, and appropriate food. Circus Pages has also violated safety regulations, putting both the public and the animals at risk. The most recent violation occurred only six months ago, on November 27, 2013. USDA inspectors found tigers covered in their own excrement in cages so small the tigers could only just stand upright inside them. The tigers were also wet and their fur covered with a “rustic” colored stain. Circus Pages was also cited for failing to maintain barriers between the tigers and circus goers, which put both the public and the animals at risk of serious injury, and even death.
Circus Pages has a troubling history of failing to provide veterinary care for all its animals, including elephants Daisy and Bambi, who were captured from the wild in 1974. USDA records indicate that Bambi was forced to stand because of a restrictive neck brace, and she was not given enough space to lie down in her travel trailer. Bambi also had a chronic draining abscess on her throat, for which Circus Pages had no record of veterinary care. Broken metal and bolts protruded into the elephants’ enclosures, putting them in danger of injury. Circus Pages also failed to provide the elephants and other animals with adequate protection from sunlight. All of these violations resulted in several individual citations spanning many years.
Lions, tigers, and llamas have also been injured and kept without adequate veterinary care. On December 18, 2007, the USDA cited Circus Pages for failing to provide adequate veterinary care after declawing two young tigers, which is illegal under the Animal Welfare Act if not done for medical reasons. The inspector wrote that declawing “can cause considerable pain and discomfort to the animals and cause health problems.” Other violations include an exotic cat, Simba, having an untreated bleeding lesion on his chin; too-thin lions; a lion squinting and holding his eye shut because of a possible injury; and no records of routine vaccinations or any other care for many animals.
Circus Pages’s mistreatment of its animals was also described in a spring 2007 issue of White Tops, a circus-industry trade magazine. It revealed that the animals at Circus Pages were kept almost exclusively in their travel trailers for several weeks when the circus encountered bad weather in Ohio. This accords with other USDA violations, which include too small travel cages for lions, and elephants’ travel trailers being used as primary enclosures.
In addition to not looking after the animals’ welfare, Circus Pages has also failed to ensure the safety and well-being of humans. They have been cited by the USDA multiple times for failing to provide adequate perimeter fences and barriers around the dangerous animals, threatening the safety of humans and animals alike.
Unless people speak out against these irresponsible and cruel practices, these circuses will continue their circuit of misery throughout the country. The mistreatment of severely endangered and highly intelligent animals has no place in St. Joseph County. Please stand with me in protesting Circus Pages on behalf of the abused animals who cannot speak for themselves. Please stand with me in setting an example of compassion.
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